Saga Hisamitsu Springs triumphed as the women’s 2025-2026 Daido Life SV.League champions. They returned to the throne in Japan for the first time since 2022, earning the ninth national title in the club’s history. On Sunday, they closed the best-of-three championship playoff against defending champions Osaka Marvelous by 2-0 in wins to top the final standings. Their libero Minami Nishimura was declared Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship.
SV-Women 2025-2026
Saga Hisamitsu Springs return to the throne in Japan
Libero Minami Nishimura named MVP
Published 04:14, 26 Apr 2026
Triumphant Saga Hisamitsu Springs players (source: @springsofficia1)
- Watch Japan’s women’s SV.League replays on VBTV
Saga Hisamitsu Springs finished the regular season in second place on a 36-8 win-loss ratio and 99 points, runners-up to NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki. In the quarterfinal playoffs, Saga put together two straight-set wins over Gunma Green Wings. In the semifinals, they lost the first match to PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku in four sets, but then recovered with two hard-fought five-set victories, reverse-sweeping the decider from two sets down, to advance to the final showdown against last year’s winners Osaka Marvelous, who had surprised the convincing regular season winners NEC Red Rockets with two shutouts in the other semifinal playoff.
The championship title series was held this weekend at the Yokohama Buntai. On Saturday, in front of 3,183 spectators in the stands, Hisamitsu Springs and Marvelous engaged in a five-set duel with Saga celebrating a 3-2 (25-21, 28-26, 19-25, 22-25, 15-10) victory. Outside hitter Sae Nakajima and American opposite Stephanie Samedy led the winners with 22 points apiece, while middle Ayaka Araki impressed with five kill blocks for the winners. So did her American counterpart Samantha Francis for Marvelous, while Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke produced a match-high 27 points, including three kill blocks and two aces, for the team from Osaka.
3,666 fans were counted at the Yokohama Buntai for Sunday’s second game of the series. This time, Hisamitsu Springs got the job done in straight sets, for a speedy 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-14) win, to close the final playoff and top the podium. Stephanie Samedy headed the match scorers chart with 23 points, all in swings.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate both teams for fighting through the final over the two days,” said the new champions’ head coach Kumi Nakada. “I believe the key to our victory was that we were able to execute many of the plays we wanted to from the first set, and that even when things didn't go well, we were able to quickly switch gears and continue to focus on the next point. Being able to fully showcase what we have built up throughout this season on this stage is a great sign of growth for the team. Throughout the long season, we were supported by the encouragement of many people. Thank you very much. We will continue to challenge ourselves so that we can show you an even stronger Saga Hisamitsu Springs.”
“The biggest reason for our defeat was that they were able to do what we wanted to do,” commented silver medalists Osaka’s head coach Daisuke Sakai. “Even so, I am proud of the players who continued to fight on the court without giving up until the very end, and I am also grateful to the team staff who supported us every day. And the presence of the Osaka Marvelous fans, who continued to send us passionate support both at home and away, was a great source of strength for us.”
NEC Red Rockets settled for bronze.
“We couldn't reach the result we were aiming for, and I feel sorry for all the staff members, sponsors, company personnel, fans and everyone who supported NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, but the players' hard work and the things they have built up over the years are truly precious, and I want them to be proud of the results they achieved in the regular season,” said Red Rockets’ head coach Kodai Nakaya. “It wasn't what we wanted, but we will be able to play volleyball with this team for a little longer in the AVC Champions League. I hope we can finish this season by fully showcasing what makes NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki unique.”
PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku, Victorina Himeji, Queenseis Kariya, Gunma Green Wings, Saitama Ageo Medics, Denso Airybees Koriyama, Astemo Rivale Ibaraki, Kurobe Aqua Fairies, Okayama Seagulls, Toray Arrows Shiga and Aranmare Yamagata, in that order, lined up from fourth to 14th in the final SV.League standings.
「2025–26 大同生命SV.LEAGUE WOMEN CHAMPIONSHIPで、 #西村弥菜美 選手がMVPに選ばれました✨
— 【公式】SAGA久光スプリングス (@springsofficia1) April 26, 2026
チャンピオンシップでも、プレーだけでなく声でもチームを鼓舞し続けてくれました🤝🔥
リベロは得点こそできないポジションですが、ボールを床に落とさなければ、バレーボールは繋がる。… pic.twitter.com/t3c2kId1HE
Saga’s 26-year-old libero Minami Nishimura was the best receiver of the season with a 55.6% successful reception. She also earned the MVP award. Gunma’s Polish opposite Olivia Rozanski was the season’s best scorer with a total of 1,028 points. Middle blocker Ayaka Araki of Hisamitsu Springs was the spiker with the highest success rate in attack. Toray Arrows’ Dutch middle Juliet Lohuis topped the chart for most efficient servers, while Astemo’s American middle Brionne Butler registered the most kill blocks per set.
